Real Estate

Church Makes Development Plans For Downtown Austin

Episcopal church leaders are searching for a developer to take on a mixed-use project on a popular downtown Austin block.

A New York-based Episcopal Church organization owns Block 87, which is bounded by East Seventh, East Eighth, Neches and Trinity streets. The organization is trying to ensure that the area, one of the last undeveloped city blocks downtown becomes a “historic opportunity for development”.

Church officials are hoping to select a developer to team with for a project of the site. Officials believe that the site has potential for more than 600,000 square feet of development, and are envisioning a building with offices, retail buildings, and a permanent home for church archives.

“The Episcopal Church has been part of Texas and of Austin since its beginning,” said Bishop Stacy Sauls, the church’s chief operating officer in a statement to MyStatesman. “We are committed to this development being a benefit to all segments of the community and something of which Austin will be proud.”

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The block will limit the building height to 75 feet to comply with Austin rules to preserve Capitol views. The church partnered with Studio 8 Architects on ideas that reflect the church’s vision of what a mixed-use tower would look like on the site. They’re hoping that interested developers can work within that design or create their own proposed ideas.

The Episcopal Church will be represented by the Rev. Canon Lang Lowrey III as asset manager, and Clinton Sayers II and Paul Byars with Sayers and Associates as real estate brokers.

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